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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26065186">good news and car rides</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account'>orphan_account</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Mythic Quest: Raven's Banquet (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, Fluff, Realization of Feelings, poppydana supremacy, set after S01E04: "The Convention"</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 11:55:04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,175</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26065186</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>There's a silence again, but it's different. It's calm. It’s warm. It’s something Poppy can't put her finger on. At the con, when she watched her gaming, she thought it was an epiphany, a satisfying solution to their problem. Now, she's not sure what exactly she's feeling.</p><p>Or, alternatively, Poppy tells Dana she's been promoted in the car ride back to the office.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Dana/Poppy Li</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>13</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>good news and car rides</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>dedicating this to fellow poppydana warrior cricket aka @LlQUlDNITROGEN on twitter i love him a lot they are very cool n you should follow!!<br/>also i know racheldana will probably end up together but poppydana is just Cute ok..let me have this</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“I got so distracted I never even got to eat a shitty pretzel,” Poppy says as she and Dana walk across the parking lot to her car. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her masked man costume is not fit for walking under the sun. Not only is she slow, but she's slow </span>
  <em>
    <span>and </span>
  </em>
  <span>sweaty, which are the two most annoying feelings she can have.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I told you, they’re not </span>
  <em>
    <span>shitty</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” Dana says, sipping her iced tea. “I ate like seven.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Seven?”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Poppy says, looking over at her, surprised. “You ate three more after I left you alone?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What? I was hungry.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What about that iced tea, though?” She points to it. “Is that shitty?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah it is, actually.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Poppy purses her (already drying) lips and asks, “Can I have it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dana scoffs, but hands over the cup and starts fishing for her keys in her pockets.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Poppy, eternally grateful, grabs it and sips. She furrows her eyebrows at the taste. “This isn't shitty. This is, like, really good.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dana shrugs. “I’m pretty full. You can have it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Really?” Poppy takes another sip, savoring the already melting ice. She lets out a satisfied sound. “Thank you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They find her car after a moment and go inside with a click of Dana’s car keys. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her car is pretty...cozy? Which Poppy doesn't even realize a car could be. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>There are trinkets on the dashboard, glittery cat stickers and exclusive MQ merch, ones that you can’t even buy from the office. The steering wheel has a bright yellow cover on it. The headrest has a soft, feather-y pillowcase over it, and it's the most comfortable headrest Poppy’s ever felt. She could take a nap in it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dana starts the car up and they head out the parking lot in silence. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Poppy fidgets. She has good news. Amazing news, actually. And </span>
  <em>
    <span>she</span>
  </em>
  <span> gets to be the one to tell Dana. To be the one to tell her that she’s getting promoted to a streamer. It's incredible but also weirdly awkward.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Poppy never gets to be the one to give good news. Or any news, if she’s being honest. Ian, being the narcissist that he is, is always the one who says it, announces it with confidence, like he's the one who thought of it, even when the idea was most likely hers.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But, for some unknown reason (and Poppy can't get herself to care enough to find out), Ian is letting her tell Dana. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It's exciting, but she doesn't know how to bring it up. She’s never actually done this before.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So,” Dana says, finger tapping on the wheel to combat the silence. “Who did you choose to be our next Pootie?”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Perfect</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Actually,” Poppy can't help but smile. No wonder Ian likes doing this, it feels so exciting. “We think it should be you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A pause.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait, for real?” Dana asks, obviously trying hard not to look at Poppy too much as she drove. She lets out a laugh in disbelief. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Really?</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, dude,” Poppy says. “And, not to toot my own horn, but it was also my idea.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Now, Dana </span>
  <em>
    <span>really </span>
  </em>
  <span>looks at her, eyes glistening and smile so wide Poppy’s cheeks hurt just by looking at them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You…” She trails off, processing the information. She swallows, not losing her smile, and tears her eyes away from Poppy and back on the road. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Giddily, she asks, “You thought of me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And, wistfully, Poppy replies, “Yeah, I did.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s almost a sigh, barely above a whisper. She blinks and tries again, more confident this time, “Yeah, of course I did. You were obviously the perfect candidate.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re feeding into my ego,” Dana says. “But, please, continue. Why’d you think of me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Poppy rolls her eyes but doesn't let go of her grin. She lists the reasons off with her hands. “Well, you caught the attention of a whole crowd on your gaming </span>
  <em>
    <span>alone</span>
  </em>
  <span>. You’re cool. You're incredibly charming. And—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She pauses and just </span>
  <em>
    <span>looks</span>
  </em>
  <span>, at least for a moment. Looks at Dana as she drives through the streets of LA. Looks at her as the afternoon sun shines through the car window and bathes both of them in golden hour light. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then, she says, “You're really pretty.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dana looks back at her. Softly, she replies, “Thank you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There's a silence again, but it's different. It's calm. It’s warm. It’s something Poppy can't put her finger on. At the con, when she watched her gaming, she thought it was an epiphany, a satisfying solution to their problem. Now, she's not sure what exactly she's feeling.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They both try to break the quiet at the same time, but their trains of thought are completely different. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dana says, “I can’t wait to tell my mom.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>While Poppy says, “Let’s put on some music to celebrate.” As she presses the stereo open.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She only hears the first few notes of the song before turning it off again, apologetic for interrupting. “Sorry, what did you say?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dana’s smile turns sheepish. “I said I can't wait to tell my mom. She gets all excited and then I get excited and, I don't know, I just like telling her good news. So, thanks for giving me good news to pass on, I guess.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No need to thank me,” Poppy says, then point to the stereo. “Also, out of topic, but was that Mitski playing?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dana bursts out laughing. “Yeah, I was going through some stuff yesterday.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, I’m so sorry.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, what? Nah.” She waves her hand dismissively in the air. “It wasn't anything serious.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Were you pretending to be a protagonist in a coming of age movie?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A beat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Another beat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, that's painfully relatable.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dana laughs again. It's infectious, straight from the stomach and bubbly and loud. Poppy can't help but follow.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can we listen to it and pretend we’re on a cross country roadtrip that ends in some profound </span>
</p><p>
  <span>lesson about life?” Poppy asks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dana replies almost immediately, “You read my mind.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It's nice, to relax. Poppy’s not sure how long since she’s been able to not be as tense. To sit in a car and sing and dance along without having to care much about anything else. Dana makes it easy, too. She has a good voice and great moves and she’s just charming in a way Poppy’s never felt before.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They arrive at the MQ parking lot not long after. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dana shuts the engine off but doesn't move to unbuckle her seatbelt. Poppy is in no rush either.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So they sit in another comfortable silence. It's a liminal space, a time in between. Poppy feels like she’s about to realizing something life changing, but it's still travelling from the heart.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re really cool, Dana.” She didn’t plan on saying that. It just slipped out. But she lets it hang in the air, doesn't make herself back-pedal. It's true, and it's nice that it's true.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dana looks at her, maybe for a moment a little too long. Her smile is softer, but her eyes are still as bright. She says, “Thanks, Poppy.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And Poppy realizes.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>thank u for the kudos and comments!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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